Days
by Khissy
Summary: Day to day life for 2D, Murdoc, and cyborg Noodle on Plastic Beach. Rated T for minimal swearing and some violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Days**

More back story and info on why I started this fic are at the end so you get all the good stuff faster.

Minus this intro and the outro, there are 2000 words in this chapter.

_Enjoy!~_

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2D woke up slowly to the dimly lit room. He had a mild headache; he was still coming off of the previous night's painkillers. He found his bottle and opened it easily. He swallowed two pills dry and sat up out of bed. Outside of the window, the whale passed by, causing him to shiver and look away. There was a visitor a few months ago, he remembered. The person made the whale disappear temporarily. He forgot how though.

His eyes widened as he remembered. The person had closed the curtains. Murdoc, that rotten sod, must have opened them while 2D was sleeping.

2D quickly drew the curtains together. He could still hear the groans of that terrifying beast, but at least it couldn't see him. He wished that person who had randomly shown up on the beach was still around, but the visitor eventually left, tired of waiting around for a key or something of the like. This left 2D as lonely as ever. He had no friends on the island, and no one to talk to, even. The cyborg didn't talk much, and when she did, she was usually just relaying cruel messages that Murdoc was too lazy to tell 2D himself. 2D avoided Murdoc as much as he could, and the maintenance guy was usually too busy screwing things up.

He thought about getting something to eat, but just didn't want to. He lit a smoke instead and left his room to go outside. He'd barely eaten in days, he mused as he took a long drag. These habits would be the end of him, his health declined every day. _Maybe.._ He thought to himself. _'f I wen' an' died, I'd be free of tha' rott'r.. 's all 'is fault anyways…_

Firm steps from behind him made him tense.

"2D," called a cold voice resembling Noodle's.

"Wot." He said quietly, refusing to look at that metal mockery of his friend. "Wot d'yew wont?"

"You have not eaten in days."

"Yeah I 'ave." 2D insisted. "Why d'yew care any'ow?"

"My orders are to make sure you eat." The robot said coldly.

"Yew tell Murdoc tha' 'e can suck et." 2D said angrily.

He took another long drag and blew the smoke out through the gap where his two front teeth should have been. The cyborg took his arm in a bone-crushing grip, causing him to shake and drop the cigarette. The grip only tightened when 2D tried to pull away, and the cyborg began to drag him back to the condo.

"Leave me alone yew rott'n scrap o' met'l!" He yelled angrily.

The cyborg just continued on with 2D, not bothering to slow her pace even when he tripped and stumbled over the junk on the floor. She took him up to the patio, where Murdoc was sitting at a table.

"2D.." The Satanist trailed off in his familiar gruff voice. "Take a seat ol' pal."

2D looked between the cyborg and Murdoc, and sat reluctantly. There was a plate of bacon and eggs on the table.

"Why don' you 'ave yerself a bite?" Murdoc offered, his expression hard and unfeeling.

"'m not 'ungry. I don' need anyfing." 2D said.

He shrunk back a bit, expecting Murdoc or the cyborg to hit him, but no blows came- yet. Murdoc simply scooted the plate closer to the depressed-looking singer and eyed him carefully.

"S'not 'ealthy, you know. I can' have meself an unhealthy sing'r now can I?"

Murdoc leaned in, peering out from behind a sheet of perfectly cut bangs. The bassist's eyes pierced directly into the scared 2D's black ones, and 2D looked down at the plate, and then the fork beside it. He _was_ hungry, ridiculously so, but the though of eating made him feel like he'd gag.

"Get a move on, face-ache. I don' 'ave all damn day to wait for yer slow 'ead ta figure this out." Murdoc barked.

2D carefully picked up the fork. He wanted desperately to not listen, to tell Murdoc to go away and then leave the forsaken island, but he was still stricken with fear. He ate slowly, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

"Ah, there we are. Cyborg, do fetch me a glass o' rum. Always need some wit' this dullard around."

2D didn't respond to Murdoc's abusive words, he'd learned to get used to them over the past 13 years. Instead he ate, somewhat defiantly at first, but as he took his first forced gulp, his body realized just how much it needed food. He ate a bit more quickly.

"See 'ow good that is, face-ache? 'm 'elpin' ya out here." Murdoc said.

"Wotever. I wont t' leave." 2D said between bites.

"Mm, methinks you'd best get used to it, poor li'l Stu-pot."

2D finished his food and stood defiantly.

"No, I wont t' leave an' yer gonna let me, you dir'y, evil bast-"

2D was cut off as Murdoc stood and slapped him hard across the face. He fell hard to the ground, holding the side of his face and whimpering in pain and fear. He looked up at Murdoc with sad eyes.

"Why d' yew 'ave t' 'it me so moch?" 2D asked, hurt.

"Cos I can do what'eva I want t' ya!" Murdoc yelled. "And cos yer so damn stupid! You woul'nt make it a damned day without me around tellin' ya what t'do."

2D looked down sadly. He held back his tears, knowing Murdoc would just hit him and throw more angry insults at him if he cried. He didn't have time to do anything before Murdoc's boot smashed into his chest though, sending him back a few feet and knocking the breath out of him.

"Get up, ya stupid dent face." Murdoc growled.

2D stood up slowly, wheezing. He wished he had someone to help him, even if it meant simply offering him a hand and helping him up. He wished he had a friend right now so hard that it made his poor, abused heart ache something terrible. He wished he had Noodle, the real one, or Russel… Someone, anyone to tell him that everything would be okay. He looked quietly at Murdoc with heartbroken eyes. The older man glared back, bearing his sharpened, green teeth angrily.

2D turned and walked down the stairs that lead into the study. The cyborg pushed past him, carrying a cup of rum and ice, causing 2D to stumble and fall. Luckily it wasn't a long drop, and he was able to catch himself and land on his feet. He entered the lift and made his way down to his room. The room was underwater, so there was naturally less light. It helped his migraines a little, but it still always depressed him. He just lay on his bed, now letting a few tears fall down his face. He was trapped in the prison of his own success. He was always trapped, it seemed. Murdoc was an ever-present demon in his life. The disgruntled bassist had even tracked him all the way to Beirut and asked to be part of this new project.

2D couldn't deny that the first two phases held a lot of wonderful memories for him, but they also reminded him of the loss of his friends Noodle and Russel. Then there were all the bad memories tied to them. So, of course, 2D just couldn't handle another phase, but then the evil Murdoc gassed and kidnapped him!

The long-limbed man turned over in the bed and switched on the radio. There was only static, as usual, so his popped in a cd, looking for whatever escape he could find in the soft melodies. His chest ached awfully where Murdoc kicked him, and his face still stung, not to mention the dull throb in his head that had leaked through the pain killers. He grabbed his head and curled up in a sad heap as the whale could be heard passing by and groaning.

"Make it stop, I'm going crazy! Just make it stop!" He cried.

The music broke into a sad beat, almost as if reacting to his cries. He let the calm melodies put him to sleep and let him escape his hell for a while.

He opened his eyes to the sight of little Noodle before him, sitting with her guitar, Russel's familiar form sitting at his drums behind her. Both figures looked at him with pitying faces. Then a cold hand with sharp nails and calloused fingers that he recognized all too well took hold of his hair and pulled him up.

"Come on then, face-ache, don' sleep on th' floor all day."

2D got up and looked around at the other three.

"W-wot 'appened?" He asked innocently.

"You passed out, man. You feeling okay?" Russel asked.

"Must be those drugs 'e's always on." Murdoc scoffed. "Just a li'l headache, can't you suck it up an' keep off those things for one day, eh?"

Noodle nodded.

"2D-san. Very unhealthy." She said.

"'m sorreh, guys.." 2D muttered.

"Yeah, just come play." Murdoc said as he picked up his bass and stood to the right of a keyboard.

2D walked towards the beautiful, polished keyboard, knowing the band was waiting for him, but before he reached it, everything before him was engulfed in a terrifying white. After that, he was alone. Far away, he heard the moans of a whale, and then spotted a grey dot in the distance. It moved towards him at break-neck speed. Frightened, 2D ran, but he tripped and turned to see the whale, mouth agape, moving in for him. He covered his face with his arms and shut his eyes tightly as a blood red engulfed him, his arms itched terribly; it felt like bugs were crawling beneath his pale skin. He rubbed his arms, trying to make the sensation disappear.

2D jolted awake and looked nervously at the clock. It was 17:00. He sighed and looked down at his arms to find that he'd scratched at them until they bled some. The blood disgusted him. He hated the night terrors that the medicines gave him, but nothing else could be done. A green cloth, clean and dry, sat at the foot of the bed. 2D picked up the cloth gratefully and wiped the blood from his arms. His muscles ached from the blows he'd been dealt earlier, and from his general lack of activity.

The day passed by without much incident, and 2D mainly just lay in bed, letting his music and his mind take him to a much calmer, much more peaceful place. A place without Murdoc and his creepy cyborg, mind you. He daydreamed of being up in the clouds, flying like a bird might, free of his pain and fear. He thought of the things Noodle had tried to teach him. She and Russel shared the concern that 2D was always caged, imprisoned by some invisible demon. Noodle had always tried to teach 2D to use his strength to gain freedom, and she always gave him that precious little defiant face of hers when he insisted that he just wasn't able to do that.

"When you feel stuck, you must use your strength to break out of your prison." She'd say in her cute Japanese accent.

"I ain' got any strenf, luv." He'd always answer with a goofy grin.

The young girl would just shake her head and look at him.

"You just don't know how." The young girl persisted. "But, you must find the path for yourself, or risk being lost forever."

"Look at'chu. Yew're so wise, li'l Noods." 2D cooed. "But yew know I'm not stuck or anyfing. 'm plen'y 'appy here."

Noodle just crossed her arms and gave 2D that look of hers.

The singer smiled at the memory. He missed Noodle the most, though now he was sure he'd be a bit scared of her because of that ruthless cyborg.

"I 'ate this place.." He murmured to himself.

* * *

So, new fic centering on 2D. I rediscovered my love for Gorillaz after seeing their latest video for 'On Melancholy Hill.' From there, I discovered the world of Plastic Beach, and many, many other wonderful Gorillaz songs that I hadn't heard before. With this new resurgence of Gorillaz love for me, I have also fallen in love with 2D, whose story for me has become more and more tragic as I continue to learn about it. I think that he's adorable, lol. But I do really feel bad for the uphill battle he seems to have to fight daily, so I decided to write about his day to day life on plastic beach. I might add story events as they happen in the real Plastic Beach storyline.

Any love would be appreciated, shows me that you guys are out there, and it feeds my creative hand when I can't do it all by myself.

(For those less familiar with 24-hour time, 17:00 is 5:00pm)

Quick glossary. I tried to write dialogue in the unique accents that we see in Gorillaz, but obviously, that makes it a bit harder to understand it at times. So here's just a few terms that might be hard to figure out. Sorry if they're obvious, just making sure.

**Cos:** Cause (because)

**Dir'y:** Dirty (British accents seem to almost lack a hard 't' sound at times, so that's what that's about)

'**f:** If

'**it:** Hit

'**m:** I'm

**Moch:** much

'**ow:** How

'**s: **it's

**Strenf:**Strength 'th sounds tend to come out like 'f' sounds in 2D's accent

**Wont:** want, not to be confused with _won't_

**Yew, ya / yer:** You/you're or your

Thanks for reading! See you all soon!


	2. Reflections and Questions?

I'm back! And I have the Plastic Beach deluxe edition! I'm so happy about that. I love this album, though for people looking to buy it, I'd say find a cheap version of the deluxe edition. (on amazon or something, if you really care about the online stuff, just buy the normal one if not) I'm pleased with the online content, but the DVD left me wanting a lot more, so the album and online perks were worth it, but not really the DVD, sadly. Anyways, I'll shut up and get on with the chapter.

This chapter is more contemplative for everyone, it's more of a reflective period for Murdoc, 2D, and Cyborg Noodle. There are 2058 words in this chapter not counting the intro and outro.

Enjoy!~

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The setting was dark and gloomy, the only light being a small lamp and the light of a few various monitors. It was a safe place, yet terrifying. Beautiful, but ugly. His own little space, but his own endless prison.

2D watched a few zombie films to calm down and distract from the whale looming outside. The films were all as cheesy as ever, but he didn't mind. He hugged his pillow closer to his body as he watched thoughtlessly. It felt like this was perhaps his only comfort in the harsh, ugly pink beach.

The movie hit one of those dreaded 'boring' parts, but instead of fast forwarding, 2D dared to draw the curtains fully open, the whale usually wasn't around at this particular time of the evening, thankfully. A dim bluish light colored the walls, and slowly shifting rays of heavily refracted moonlight from the surface danced inside the room. 2D thought deeply as the fish and other sea creatures passed by his window, he tried to think about anything that would distract him from Noodle or Russel. They both had picked on him some in the past, and he'd done a little teasing himself, but it was usually just lighthearted play, like friends would do.

He knew it was a stupid wish, and he knew that by all means he should absolutely abhor Murdoc, but sometimes he wished that he and Murdoc were like that. He wished that they could play around and be.. more like family. He had said no to another phase, but if Murdoc had gone a little differently about asking him, the singer would have at least considered it instead of refusing right away. 2D rolled his eyes at the thought of Murdoc and his dirty underhanded ways.

Murdoc sat around sipping on a drink. He wished there were some damn girls around or something. Real girls. He peered over at the cyborg, who seemed to be occupying herself by terrorizing the fish in the aquarium.

"Don' kill th' poor things, cyborg!" He called. "Sweet satan…"

The cyborg backed away from the aquarium, but still watched the frightened fish swim around frantically.

She wasn't half bad looking, the way Murdoc saw it, but he longed for some real women, nice pretty ones that he could shag. Man, if he just had girls he'd be set. And then perhaps someone to watch that brain dead headache... He scoffed at the thought of the singer. It was always a chore when he was around, especially now that he'd, after over ten years, began to grow a spine. He even had the nerve to dodge when Mirdoc tried to punch him the other day!

"Idiot dent face.." He muttered.

Somewhere deep and hidden in Murdoc's twisted brain, he did feel a little sorry for 2D. Somewhere, he knew that 2D wouldn't be like this if it weren't for him, but the overwhelming part of the bassist insisted that the little sod shouldn't have been in the way of his car in the first place.

It wasn't all bad though, Murdoc _had_ nursed the boy to health, kind of. He could've just left the little brat to die, but instead, he took care of him. For that, 2D owed Murdoc his soul and no one would tell the bassist otherwise. Murdoc felt very deeply that he, in fact, owned 2D and had the right to do whatever he pleased with him. He had already taken some of the singer's organs, after all. But, also deep in his dark heart of hearts, Murdoc felt responsible for 2D. 2D may have annoyed him to no end, but he'd almost grown used to it. During the band's hiatus, life had grown somewhat tedious without hearing the singer's annoying little accent or having to look at his stupid blue hair or odd black eyes. Murdoc treated 2D poorly, and he knew it, but _damned_ if anyone else was going to take that from him.

Murdoc checked his clock. It was getting late. He swept a few miscellaneous items off of his bed and lay on his back, arms outspread. _Maybe that little bugger isn't so bad… _He thought as he closed his eyes and slept.

2D finally began to grow drowsy after he popped his third horror film into the blu-ray player. As the noise of the movie seemed to blur and fade to his tired ears, he remembered a song. It was a lullaby, actually, that his mother would sing to him as a boy and even as a young man. He didn't know why he'd forgotten about it for so long, but then, he did tend to forget things. Stupid car accidents.. He stifled a yawn and sang his mother's lullaby quietly, his voice scratchy from tiredness and the long, boring days. He entered a dreamless, peaceful sleep, one of those that everyone longs for, but rarely gets.

The night wore on gradually like it always did. As usual, the beach had a life of its own. Bit by bit, with rubbish and flotsam plenty, the island grew. Now, it would still take a long time for the island to grow by feet or even meters, but the fact still remained that the heap of trash was growing, a rotten wasteland right in the middle of the ocean. It disgusted Cyborg Noodle, who was now standing on the beach alone. She'd finished charging for the night, and Murdoc was asleep, so he didn't seem to need anything, but she left some rum by his bed just in case.

The robot sneered at the beach. She couldn't understand it, but the sight of all the waste and decay made something twist inside her. She wondered if it was one of those feelings that Murdoc talked about sometimes. Not that he talked about them very often, but enough for the the cyborg to grasp the concept.

She tried to piece it together logically. She was composed of circuitry and AI technology, things that could mimic feeling, but could not create it. Then she was also crafted from the DNA of a real person, which helped shape who she was and what she could do. Therefore, tt was logical that she could experience a human thought or feeling, but she had no answer for why of all things she would feel hate for the beach. Her circuitry couldn't come up with anything, so she ignored whatever it was and strolled quietly down the beach. Plastic bottles and other such debris crunched and cracked whenever she stepped on them. Beneath the surface of the water, a dark form moved fluidly. Cyborg Noodle recognized it as the whale, most likely just making its night time rounds, but it was oddly close to the surface. The whale slowed its pace and faced away from the island. It turned its head to the side and surfaced to see something far in the distance. Cyborg Noodle looked in the same direction to figure out what the whale might be trying to look at. It was a large brown dome, the same dome that she'd been seeing every once in a while for quite some time.

It wasn't moving forward from what her scanners could tell, but it was much closer than it had been previously, and she still couldn't decide what it could possibly be. She scoffed and looked down at the whale. The mammoth seemed to be returning to its patrol. The cyborg stretched her arms over her head and decided to follow the whale's example. She held her gun high and began her own patrol of the island.

2D woke up early the next morning with a skull-splitting pain in his head. He opened his eyes slowly, but immediately regretted it and closed them. The irregular, dancing rays of light from the surface made him feel nauseous. He began to gag and promptly bolted out of his bed, running to the bathroom where he quickly emptied the contents of his stomach, mostly just bile. After finishing with that, he sat on the floor and leaned back so that his head rested on the wall. He moaned pitifully. This was terrible he felt like he was dying. After a few moments the pain subsided slightly, and 2D finally stood up and ambled down the hallway weakly.

"'as anyone got a cup?" A familiar male voice called from near the lift.

It was the maintenance man, Dave, no doubt looking for a brew. He spotted 2D and walked over, that creepy smile plastered on his round face. Dave always did seem scary to 2D. The two had spoken at length one day and 2D was now pretty well convinced that Dave had murdered his wife.

"Ah, there's someone! Mornin' 2D." He called.

"Ughh… Morning…" 2D managed.

"'ey, you don' look too good."

"I'm not…" 2D moaned. "Don' yew 'ave.. werk or somefin to do..? The lift's still… faulty…"

"I was just lookin' for a cup." The little man said, exasperated.

"Go ask Murdoc or.. Woteva…"

"Okay, okay." The man shrugged. "Just take it easy, you look mighty sick."

2D nodded and went on to his room, where he quickly scrambled around for his pills. He found the bottle he was searching for and took several of the oval-shaped pills. Afterwads, he lay still for a while until the pain subsided. When an hour or so had passed, he dragged himself out of bed and ascended the lift. He walked quickly out of the lift and through the entrance to Murdoc's forsaken island mansion. The air carried the unpleasant smell of rotting matter and seawater, but it was still nice to get a breath of– somewhat- fresh air. He pulled a package of smokes and a lighter from his pocket and lit one of the cigarettes. He took a slow drag and exhaled deeply. _Noodle'd be upset with me fer smokin so moch. 'specially after takin' my pills. _He thought to himself with a grin.

Unnoticed, the cyborg followed 2D out of the entrance. She waited behind him for a few moments while he smoked and thought of Noodle.

"2D." She called finally, making the man instantly tense up.

He ignored her, wishing he could be free of that rotten Murdoc and his stupid cyborg for even just a day. As the smoke poured out from his lips, the Cyborg spoke again.

"2D." She tried again.

No response. She took a few steps closer.

"I can go get the whale."

2D peered at her over his shoulder, appearing slightly exasperated.

"Wot, wot d'yew need? 'm listenin', dammet. 'f this's about cleanin' tha studio agin, tell Murdoc i's 'is turn."

"No, it is not about the studio. I came because.. I had a question."

2D couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, he definitely wasn't expecting this. Since when did she ask questions? The little piece of junk usually just walked around all day like it was better than him. He turned and looked at her.

"Uh, awright.. Wot did'ya need?" He asked waiting for her to say something stupid and then laugh at him like Murdoc would.

"I want to know about your eyes."

Now 2D was dumbstruck. He just figured she knew the story. As far as he could detect though, the little robot was sincere about her question, and wasn't planning to trick him.

"Well.. uhm.. I's a long story. Murdoc neva told yew?"

"I asked him once, but he did not provide much of an answer."

"Why d'yew wont t'know anyway? Don't yew 'ate me or somefink?" 2D asked coldly.

"I do not hate you. I.. was just curious." The cyborg replied.

For a moment, 2D could have utterly _sworn_ that there was a hint of hurt in her voice. This wasn't the real Noodle, but he still couldn't hurt her feelings, even if she _was_ just a robot.

"I guess I can tell yew about it." He shrugged. "But it'll take a while."

The cyborg nodded. 2D mentally facepalmed. Of course she wouldn't care how long it took, she didn't need food or anything, and she was probably fully charged. He sighed deeply and shuffled through his thoughts to find a good starting point.

"Well, I used t'work at a place called Uncle Norm's Organ Emporium back when I wos a teen.."

* * *

Aand enter flashback-ish sequence. It'll probably only last a chapter or two, but obviously, any fanfiction writer in this fandom has to retell the ram-raid story, heehee.

So, giant thank you for all the faves and story alerts and to those who reviewed! Stuff like that tells me that people enjoy the story, and it's always wonderful to know that you guys are watching out for this story. It definitely keeps me going.

Obviously though, no one **has** to do any of that. If you just like reading my little story, then read on, loves!

As a side note, I'm honestly not quite sure where Russel is at this point in the phase, since I have seen pictures of him on the beach, but in the "Journey to Plastic Beach" video, it seemed like Russel was still a ways away from the island. Anywho, I'll try to go fish up this info, and if it turns out that he's at the island now, then I'll incorporate it in to the story sooner rather than later.

~Mwah. 3 Hope you enjoyed and look forward to next chapter!


	3. Answers and Anger

Here we go again! Heehee. Italicized means it's a flashback. Some parts are from 2D's point of view.

This chapter is a little short (1,301 words), and I apologize for that. But hopefully another update will come sooner.

Enjoy!

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"I wos werking a bit late one night, an' frum far away, I herd a sound like a car speeding. It wos comin' closer, so I went up to te front to see wot it wos."

_Stuart walked to the front of the organ emporium, having heard the harsh cacophony of a speeding car coming ever closer. He got a look out the window just as the car came right up on the shop. The next thing he saw was the front bumper of the car inches in front of his face._

"The time kinda slows down like tat, yew know? I's like yew're lookin' right at death."

The cyborg nods. I wonder if she actually does know wot that's like. Knowing yer screwed but not able to do anything about it. I just have to smile thinking abou' it. All these years and I still don' know if that day improved my life for te bettah or ruined my life forevah.

"So," I continued, "te car 'it me an' knocked me 'alfway across te shop. I herd all kinds of cussin' and then runnin'. I couldn' see too well, but te only person I saw was Murdoc."

"_What the f—aghh my legs, dammit!" Murdoc swore as he looked down to see cuts and bruises all over his legs. All his companions had already fled, but he remained and scoped out the area, ready to steal, but a somewhat twisted looking heap of whimpering and blood on the ground caught his attention._

"_Oh sh*t!" Murdoc cursed, and ran to the boy._

_He didn't have much of a heart to speak of, but he knew that if this kid died, he was really in for it._

"So there's Murdoc crouchin' ova me an' cussin' about gettin' in trouble if I died, and threatnin' to run me ova' again if I didn' get up. Everyfing 'urt, but I though' 'e wos some sort of demon or somefink. I wos so scared that 'e really would run me ova' tha' I tried standin' up, but I jus' couldn'."

"Why would he make you stand when you were clearly hurt? You could have had a head, neck or back injury and broken your spine if you stood."

I raise an eyebrow, not exactly sure wot she is getting at. Must have been something Murdoc had programmed her with. She is good with all that medical stuff, I guess, Murdoc always has her fix me up whenever he hurts me.

"Well, uh, 'e didn' know bettah." I offered. "'Sides, my head an' back an' stuff wos fine. I jest passed ou' for a while."

"A year?" She asked.

"Well, yeh. I though' Murdoc didn' tell you about this."

"He told me his version, which was basically that he was just driving around, mindinghis own business, and then you somehow ran face first into his car on purpose, causing him to crash into the shop. Then he took care of you out of the goodness of his heart. I asked you because it wasn't hard to tell that he was lying about most of it."

I chuckle a bit, Murdoc is her master, but even she knows 'ow big a liar he is. Tosser…

"Yeh, so I wos passed out fer a long time. I don' really know wot 'appened when I was still out, but I'm pretty sure 'e 'it me a lot and pushed me down stairs, cos I woke up with weird scars that I didn' 'ave before."

_Before anyone knew what was happening, a pale, limp figure crashed through the windshield at high speed. The car jolted to a stop, and there was only silence from Murdoc and the onlookers. They quickly realized what had happened, and looks of horror were apparent on many faces. Murdoc rolled his eyes. He was screwed now. He quickly got out of the car and stared at the limp body on the ground, but something didn't feel quite right. Before long, the blue-haired, bloody mess of a man._

"_Shit, is he a zombie?" Someone screamed._

_Murdoc went closer to the boy and touched his shoulder, causing him to turn. Murdoc knew about his one black eye, but now it looked like his other eye had been pushed back, and it was rapidly filling with blood. _

"_Wot…s goin' on?" The younger man slurred. "Why is everfin' all blurry? Who are yew?"_

"_I'm Murdoc Niccals, and.. uhmm… I think I just saved your life."_

_Murdoc looked around and took the boys arm._

"_Come on, let's get in the car and I'll explain."_

"Murdoc told me that 'is car 'it me an' knocked me out. Then 'e told me that I wos out for a year. I wos so confused and everfing 'urt so much that I cried most of te way to te 'ospital. The rest's 'istory, I suppose."

The cyborg's expression changes a bit, it looks like sympathy and sadness. It reminds me of when I told Noodle the story. I shake me head. Need to remember that she isn't Noodle, just a stupid clone. Still, her expression is making me feel a bit guilty.

"Uh, no need to look upse'. I wos okay." I said, not sure what to tell her.

"But aren't you angry? I know that you get horrible migraines, you have trouble seeing sometimes, and you take so many painkillers at a time that you barely know what's happening."

"Hey, I know wot's 'appening aroun' me, just coz I take some painkillas 'ere and there don' mean anyfing."

I lied. Sometimes I take so many that I can barely figure out how to open the door.

"Don't lie to me." She insists, her determination reminding me of Noodle. "Last week Murdoc punched you several times and you just laughed."

"I don' really remembah that." I shrug. "Anywehs, I told you my story, so go on then."

I don't know why, but I begin to get a bit angry. I scoff and turn to look out at the horizon. The freaky robot doesn't even know me, she just looks like Noodle, an' that's all she has. I'm mad that she'd try to understand me and wot I go through when she knows she ain't the real Noodle, and that she's not me friend.

I take a peek, but she's still there.

"Well? Go on, sod off. You ain' even me friend, just go back t' Murdoc an' laff at me wit' 'im like ye always do."

I look away again, angry at Murdoc for making her instead of getting Noodle, forgetting about Russel, and kidnapping me. I'm just mad at everything. I look back again, I think the cyborg picked up on how upset I am, she's nowhere in sight. Not like I care. Creepy little girl, she is. I bet she'll use everything I told her against me somehow.

Damn, I miss Noodle so much, an' Russel too. And Del and Damon and Jamie, I even miss Kong studios...

I finally start to head back to me room after God knows how long, wanting to just take my sleeping pills and fall into a deep, dark sleep. I let the tears finally just fall down my face. I don't care if Murdoc sees, he's seen me cry before, Tattoo, Dave and the cyborg have no feelings either way, and there haven't been any tourists lately. And I just don't care anyways, I just want to be alone.

I quickly made it down the lift and flopped on my bed and lay there, crying softly until my head hurt from it. I saw me pain killers but didn't bother. I'd feel like shit even if I did take them. I just want to fall asleep and never, ever wake up or dream again.

* * *

So, we end on a bit of a depressing note for 2D. But let's be honest, he's gotta feel like crap all the time cooped up with no one around but a whale, scary cyborg, mental maintenance man, guy who says nothing but 'The lift! The lift, boss,' and Murdoc, possibly the worst company in existence. And to add, his real friends are no where to be found. I would cry, too.

Also, I realize his accent is different in the first person point of view. You know how you can 'sound' one way in your thoughts but sound different when you speak? It's like that, if that makes sense.

If you like it, don't like it, have some critique/corrections, just hit the review button and tell me!

Special thanks to those who have reviewed, favorited, and more: (in no particular order)

**Graffiti-Tricks**

**Psychic City**

**Sepianutt**

**Luna Penndragon**

**xRavenwing**

**whats-up-people**

**mogarth**

**brattysnake**

**clankmaster**

(Sorry if I missed anyone! Just tell me if I did.)

In another few chapters I will again pay tribute to reviewers, story alert adders and so on, because without you all:

1) What audience would I be writing for? Myself? That's no fun.

2) Who would be able to enjoy a running story and look forward to new chapters?

3) Who's names would I put in my closing notes?

See what kind of world it is without you guys? D:

So with that said, thank you for those who have been kind enough to do all that stuff. You didn't have to take time for my humble little story, but you did. For that, you earn cookies and love.

See you all next chapter. Make good decisions. ;D


	4. Learning Lessons

Hey guys, I'm back! Someone had suggested I cover a few things about Cyborg Noodle, so here it is! I hope this explains a little bit.

And just to clarify, this story won't contain any pairings.

* * *

Cyborg Noodle made her way casually through the grungy nooks and crannies of the plastic beach mansion, there was a briny scent all about the island, yet mixed in was another, far more offensive smell that was even able to permeate the thick walls of the mansion. Her small nose wrinkled as she entered a room well the smell was particularly strong. She had been so bored in the recent weeks. She was never around when tourists visited, and Murdoc spent his time pacing around his messy secret lair and waiting for some business that had to do with the book sitting on a pedestal down there.

She thought about her life; she'd been 'alive' for over a year now, but there wasn't much celebration. 2D managed to mumble an awkward 'happy birthday' one day. Murdoc had told him that it was her birthday and that he had installed a feature that gave her a bit more freedom of thought and speech.

_'She's a big girl, afteh all. She might as well be able t' do something for herself when she ain't bringing me rum.' Murdoc's muffled voice said from behind the door._

_Cyborg Noodle was well aware that she was eavesdropping, but somehow couldn't tear herself away. She stood close to the door leading to the studio, but remained concealed in the shadows cast by the cylindrical lift._

_'I don' fink it's a good idea…' 2D protested. 'She might get angry and try to kill yew or someone else. She's dangerous an' she's awful good wif them guns.'_

_'Eh, she'll be fine, 2D.' Murdoc said. "Just tell her 'appy birthday or something. She'll need more attention than usual anyways.'_

_'Yew said she needed more attenshun 'ow she wos before.'_

_'Mechanical attention, yeah, but now she's more of a… real girl. She can fix herself, but she's probably gonna want teh learn stuff and smoke pot and have 'er period er whatever it is young girls like.'_

_Cyborg Noodle rolled her eyes, and then it hit her. She had expressed something human through her desire to eavesdrop, something a real girl would do. Murdoc wasn't spot on, but he was right, she did want to do things and learn, and she actually felt things._

_'You ought to be careful 2D, she'll probably be trying to jump down your tight little pants, ya ponce.' Came Murdoc's rough voice._

_'No!' 2D yelled._

_Murdoc chuckled._

_'Jest go to your room 2D, it's getting late.'_

_2D rose and exited the studio silently, and nearly jumped as he passed the Cyborg._

_'Eh, um, 'appy birfday!' He mumbled quickly._

_As 2D disappeared into the lift, Cyborg Noodle was left to ponder what she'd heard._

It was the first time she remembered 2D speaking to her, and still one of the few times he had. The useless mechanic was always too 'busy' for anything in the midst of banging away at perfectly functional wiring and piping. Murdoc had even told her to fire him and he seemed to not pay any attention. She'd pondered killing Dave a few times; it wouldn't be a loss of anyone important, anyways. Plus, his banging was constant and loud, and she'd come out of charging mode every few days to the unpleasant cacophony, then, dazed, try to focus on removing all the multicolored wires without tangling them while trying to shut out the banging. Then, she'd exit quickly to escape to noise and figure out what to do with herself for the next few days, a task more unpleasant than returning to her charging station. There was never anything to do.

A few days before, she'd decided to try to learn more about the people around her. She didn't care one way or another, but being able to relate to them, or at least pretend she could, made her feel... real. She wanted it if only for the validation of her existence. Everyone wanted that, right?

She managed to get Dave to talk to her the other day, and picked up that he had murdered his wife or some shady business, he cared a great deal about tea, but otherwise, his only passion was getting money out of people underhandedly. She'd talked to 2D about the accident, something she was truly interested in, and learned a great deal about his past, but she couldn't glean anything else from him. She checked her stored files on him to see if she had picked up anything else, but there was little to be seen, she tended to disregard whatever Murdoc said about him, which usually consisted of babble about how stupid he was.

Why did Murdoc hate 2D so much? One wouldn't hurt a person he or she cared about. Or.. would they? Murdoc did seem to like keeping 2D close enough to shout at, and they'd been working together for over ten years. Perhaps this was a matter that needed discussing. She stopped her brisk stroll and turned quickly on her heel, the movement creating a squeaking noise against the smooth floor. She stalked to the lift, finding comfort in the familiar messily tagged doors and interior of it. She tapped her metal-tipped boot against the ground, creating a dull clanking that filled the small space.

When she made it to the study, she looked feverishly for Murdoc but didn't find him. She called his name once, and was answered by a distant call coming from near the bookshelf. She paced over to it

"Murdoc?"

"Thank satan yeh came, love." He called, his voice a bit thick, probably from too much drink. "That stupid mechanic must've jazzed up the power to the bookcase again. I need yeh to go fix it."

"Of course." Cyborg Noodle replied.

She hurried to the lift and began the descent to the engine room. When she reached it, it was back to the typical banging and the mess of wires.

"Dave." She called.

No reply.

"Dave." She tried again.

Still nothing.

She pulled out a gun and shot past the mechanic. The bullet buried itself into the far wall. The small man jumped, squealing in a way that wasn't far off from an out of tune violin. His bushy eyebrows furrowed as he glared at her.

"What!" He snarled, frightened and angry at once.

"The bookcase is shut off." She deadpanned.

"Well there's no room for the plugs anymore, 2D came and took his multiplug back. It was either the bookcase or all the lights!"

She growled at the inconvenience and turned back to the lift. What did 2D even need the damn plug for? There were plenty of outlets in there already.

She reached the lowest level and made her way to his room in a less than optimal mood. She opened the door to his room quickly, to see 2D sitting on his bed in only his underwear.

"Wot te hell! I's called knocking!" He said, covering himself instinctively with his hands.

2D had never felt more violated in his life until he 'moved' to Plastic Beach. It was like this all the time what with Murdoc and the Cyborg barging in at all hours, and then the whale, swimming so close sometimes that he could swear he could feel its giant heartbeat. He tried to turn his thoughts from the big fish as he looked up at the cyborg's face, and observed her stone expression.

"Eh.. Did yew need sumfink?" He asked carefully.

"Do you have the multiplug?"

"Um, yeh, Dave said I coul' 'ave it back."

"I need it." Cyborg Noodle said.

2D knew there wouldn't be much of a point in resisting, and he didn't feel up to it. He dug around for the multiplug and unplugged a few various chargers and plugs. Afterwards, he handed the bulky piece of equipment to her

"Here. Just give it back t' me when yew're done." He said.

Cyborg Noodle took the plug and began to exit the room.

"I's te one good fing I 'ave around 'ere…" He mumbled quietly as she left.

She thought about his last words as she returned to Dave, and finally managed to get the power on for the bookshelf. 2D didn't want to be there, and she'd known that, but only recently had she really recognized the isolation he must have been facing. She went through the usual motions, not thinking about what she was doing until she reached the bottom of the stairwell leading to Murdoc's secret room. She would never understand why he kept going down there when he knew there was a chance of being locked in for days or weeks.

"Ah, there yeh are." Murdoc slurred, arms outstretched. "I wos beginning to think that.. yeh'd left me 'ere."

"No." She answered shortly. "But I did come to talk to you."

"Sure, sure, anything, but let's talk in the study shall we? I've 'ad about enough of this stupid secret room."

As the pair neared the top of the grueling staircase, Murdoc looked over his shoulder at the army-style clad young woman. She was beginning to develop a personality; she was trying to socialize herself. Just like a certain little ten-year-old girl that arrived on the doorstep of Kong Studios nearly a decade ago. He ginned half-heartedly at the irony. He never thought he'd have to raise another child. Hopefully she didn't plan to ask him about sex or boys, satan forbid it, that was hard enough the first time when Noodle began to come of age. He felt his Cuban heel click against the floor of the study. He leaned against the desk and looked at his creation, her face stoic as it always was.

"So how 'bout it? What d'yeh need, luv?" He said, straining to sound less buzzed than he really was.

"Why do you treat 2D like you do?" She asked, for once genuinely curious about something. "Did he do something bad to you? Do you hate him?"

Murdoc had to inwardly sigh in relief.

"No no, girl, it's none o' that. I don't love him, yeh know, but I guess I don' exactly _hate_ him. He's just a li'l slow, takes a bit more for him to get the message, yeah?"

"Okay." She trailed off.

"Is that all?" Murdoc asked.

"Yes. That is all. Do you need me to get anything for you?"

"No, thanks. Off with yeh, then." Murdoc said, not harshly, but with a touch of affection.

She nodded and went off to tend to her own business.

Murdoc's answer was a mystery to Cyborg Noodle, it seemed ridiculous in fact, but he didn't have a problem with hitting 2D, and 2D seemed upset about it at times, but got over it easily. Maybe the violence was just... Acceptable.

Shivers traveled down the length of 2D's spine. The underwater floors were always cold, but the chill grew much more menacing as night began to come on. He curled up on his bed, facing away from the small window, determined not to look at the horrid whale, determined not to think about the shallow barrier that separated him from the scariest thing he had ever seen.

He reached over the edge of the bed and pulled a cigarette and lighter up in one quick motion. He lit the cigarette feverishly. The smoke filled his lungs in calm, rhythmic strokes. He didn't need painkillers today, thankfully, but hearing the water rushing in currents as the whale passed outside his window made him wish he had. He wanted to sleep it all away, wake up back in his flat, wake up to the smiling faces of his friends Russel and Noodle.

"I's not fair.." 2D mumbled, anger starting to fill him. "I's not fair!"

He stood up and stormed out of the room, trying very hard to ignore the moaning of the whale behind him. The overwhelming majority of his brain told him it wouldn't work, but at that moment he just didn't care. There wasn't much to lose, anyhow.

* * *

So, Cyborg Noodle learns a frightening and not entirely correct lesson from Murdoc, and where is 2D headed?

I tried to make her seem a bit like a child with adult mannerisms. Since she's recently gained higher self-awareness, she technically doesn't know right from wrong, a bit like a young child. I do think she'd know how to mind her manners though, which is why she's still written as having sophisticated thought and communication processes. So we shall see what types of lessons she learns. Mweheheheh…

This chapter was a departure from 2D, I know, but I shall return to him soon!

If you wish to leave reviews, alerts, faves, etc. it's always appreciated! Reminds me that I have a story to write.


	5. The L Word

Hello again, my pretties! Thanks for all the input. I'm so super-sorry this took so long. DDDDDD: Hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

The harsh torrents of wind swept 2D's hair wildly about his head, making small lashes out of the azure locks, and they whipped at his cheeks, eyes, and neck, leaving his face and neck stinging and tingling.

He wasn't sure exactly where he'd end up or what direction he was going to, but he knew he was headed in the general direction of land, and there had to be some form of land in any direction, so he'd score one way or the other here. He looked down below him, the monolith that was Plastic Beach stained the horizon like a smudge on a painting behind him. Pirate ships littered the waters below the small plane. He didn't know why the pirates hadn't tried blowing the ugly place clean out of the water again like they had once or twice, but he didn't want to be around when they did.

It was such an ugly thing, that Plastic Beach. Every useless thing, every piece of flotsam and jetsam, every wasted item ever thrown out in the world conglomerated and stuck, held together by some ungodly substance, into a giant, disgusting mass. Yes, Plastic Beach was the very manifestation of everything wrong, evil, and foul on this Earth. It was the symbol of wastefulness, disregard to valuables (2D spent a rare day out on the beach picking up whatever he could find - the money that some of the various items that washed up could be sold for varied from hundreds well into the thousands and more), and ultimately, human greed. People strive for the newest and best, and then throw it out when the newer and the better comes along. And Christ, what a stupid name Murdoc had given to it! Not a creative name in the least. And to top off this miserable, stinking plastic cake, that sod Murdoc owned the damn thing, and 2D just couldn't stand being stuck in that terrible place _and _being crushed under Murdoc's bony, greasy thumb. 2D absolutely abhorred Murdoc lately. He was rude, liked to get shitfaced something atrocious all the time, and his skin was turning green! Probably from all the drugs he'd done in his life. Being an addict to so many things finally took its toll

The sea churned beneath him, and the birds ducked and dodged to stay out of his way (how birds even got so far out in the ocean as Plastic Beach, he couldn't tell). All seemed to be going smoothly; the plane was plenty full of gas and it flew without a hitch, but her knew he had to make it far away before his attempt to escape caught the attention of-

The plane suddenly shook violently as bullets riddled the sides and wings, making awful sounds as bullets hit and tore through metal, barely missing 2D's legs and torso.

Murdoc.

"Now where're yeh goin' all of 'e sudden like that, 2D? I told you it would be a long time before I let yeh leave, didn't I?" Murdoc called.

The green skinned man was closing in on 2D in a hang glider equipped with two loaded guns. He rose substantially in the small glider and circled 2D's plane. The bullets were beginning to cause the aircraft severe damage, and it shook violently as 2D struggled to retain control over it. Below him, the whale's massive head began to poke out of the water. He growled, knowing he wasn't going to be able to escape this time. He closed his pitch black eyes as the craft began to sink, and then started spiraling down towards the ocean.

"Damn yeh, Murdoooc!" He cried up to the heavens as the aircraft plunged.

The plane landed smack in the gargantuan whale's path, and 2D cowered in the seat as the huge animal surrounded him, the blue-gray tail kicking water up for 5, 10, 15 meters into the pale blue sky. Murdoc chuckled above him as the whale circled the small plane and landed on the beach to get a boat to recapture 2D with. The singer cursed to himself as he shook in fear of the whale.

The sounds of water flowing outside of the window and the groans of the sea kept 2D awake in the dead of night –according to his clock, anyways- staring at the wall, facing away from the small round window. His thoughts turned to Noodle and Russel as they did so frequently in the past few weeks, months, maybe even a year, he didn't know or care anymore. He had last seen Noodle in the El Manana video shoot. The terror of watching the floating island shot down and Noodle lost was still fresh in his mind, the anger of hearing Murdoc brush the whole thing off as if the fact that she had dies was nothing to him, then the hope he felt when he heard she hadn't really died, all rushed back into his mind. He hadn't seen Russel since before he and Murdoc had visited New York and Gorillaz performed its final shows before splitting up. Back then, Russel was as enigmatic as he'd ever been, working on his taxidermy and trying to keep the peace, but since Noodle had disappeared he was more distant, quieter, as if he wasn't already quiet enough. 2D felt sorry for Russel, the bond he and Noodle shared was something the large drummer held close to his heart.

2D moaned quietly as his head began to reel from all these thoughts and emotions filling his typically drugged mind. The stress of it was starting to make his poor head ache awfully. He didn't even bother to look for any specific pain relievers, he just grabbed at a group of them and pried open a bottle half full of the pain relieving pills, and, having plucked out a few more capsules than the recommended dose as always, quickly tossed them into his mouth and swallowed them dry.

From what he could tell, being beneath the surface of the water, it was around the early evening, but there was nothing to do, nothing to occupy himself with, and of course, never anyone to talk to or listen to. He didn't feel like playing pong on his computer, watching old zombie movies, or messing around with his multiplug –the entertainment would only last so long, anyways- so he drew the curtains over his tiny circular window, turned off the lights in the room, and lay down on his bed and attempted to clear his mind. Before long, sleep finally took him, and he dreamed dark, grey dreams, just like the dark, grey world he now lived in.

Sometime in the middle of the night, 2D's dreams took him towards Noodle. She was standing in front of him, the only standing out within a large, empty, bluish grey space. She looked just like he had remembered her as a young girl, but something was off, something about her aura. It was somehow even warmer, brighter, and livelier than he could remember. He took a few steps closer, and a sensation not unlike a cool breeze on a hot day hit him, causing him to close his eyes. He felt new, it was like his body was more refreshed and healthier than it had been in years, but he also felt like he was not alone, he felt a strange and comfortable familiarity that he'd long since forgotten. A word that would describe the sensation played on the edge of his mind as Noodle began to change. She grew taller and her body began to take a more matured shape. Soon enough she was a grown woman, beautiful and regal. Looking at her now, he remembered just how much he cared for the little Japanese girl. She was his best friend, and he just wanted to have her back more than anything in the world. He hadn't seen her in so long now, he missed the years of watching her go from a teenager to a young woman, and he missed seeing her being able to drive a car or get her first boyfriend, go on her first date... All those missed milestones and memories made him feel like a parent separated from his only child.

He took another step closer to Noodle, and suddenly she hugged him with a force that nearly knocked him back to the ground.

"I miss you." She finally said, and he nearly gasped, her voice was so lovely.

She faded away, leaving 2D all alone in the empty space. He was there, in silence, without thought for what seemed like eons, and finally he knew the name of the sensation he was feeling.

Love.

* * *

Okay! There's one chapter.

Just to clarify, we're talking about platonic love, but it would have sounded stupid if the chapter ended 'Platonic love,' yes? Yes.

Anyways, thank you so so sooo much for reading; my computer decided to be stupid and erase what I'd written of the next chapter, but it **will** arrive (hopefully much, much sooner than this one did). I understand that this chapter isn't as long as some of the others, but it was one of those where much of the content comes from the words that aren't said, if that makes sense. Also, it's far less dialogue heavy than the last chapter, so there's less necessity for it to be so long unless I go really deeply into details of the setting and characters. If you all want that though, feel free to say so in a review.

Reviews are always appreciated, and thanks so much to the crowd who reviewed with the last chapter and stuck with me, and again sooo sorry this took so long.


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